The present invention relates to a mechanism for collecting objects laying down at the bottom level of different water basin, and more particularly, to a device for sea urchins or sea hedgehogs picking or the like and collecting the same.
For ages, seawater-filled areas and streams, rivers and waterways have been a source of food for humans. Regularly, new species of edible fish or seafood start to be commercially exploited. Consequently, an important new market of sea urchins and other animals living at the bottom of seas, oceans and rivers, and the like started to develop.
Traditionally sea urchin picking is a generally manual work performed by a diver at the bottom of reefs and collecting them in a basket or the like. This relative archaic method is slow, tedious and also not economical. There also exists a relatively high potential for accidents since the diver must resurface to empty his basket(s) a large number of times during a working day.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,193,737 granted on Sep. 22, 1977 to Lemmon and U.S. Pat. No. 4,756,671 granted on Feb. 28, 1983 to Grimes disclose fish pumping systems, which pump fish and water passing nearby their location using submersible rotary impeller means; non-submersible impellers could also be used.
The limitation of the prior art is that it is impossible picking sea urchins or non-living objects weighting approximately up to two pounds (2 lbs) from a water-filed area and automatically collecting them into collecting areas without potentially high damages of the sea urchins.
It is therefore a general object of the present invention to provide a device for sea urchins picking that obviates the above-mentioned disadvantages.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a device for sea urchins picking that allows for gathering the sea urchins without any damage/hurt to the same, thereby allowing for collected young small sea urchins to be returned into the sea.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a device for sea urchins picking that allows for continuous and economical gathering process.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a device for sea urchins picking that is simple, adaptable, and easy to build.
Still a further object of the present invention is to provide a device for sea urchins picking that is adaptable for operating by a person or by a different operating system (for example optical or acoustical).
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a device for sea urchins picking that is efficient and requires a relatively low power pumping system.
An advantage of the present invention is that the device for sea urchins picking is also capable of picking other living and non-living objects from the waterbed with a weight up to two pounds (2 lbs) or even more.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a careful reading of the detailed description provided herein, with appropriate reference to the accompanying drawings.
According to the present invention, there is provided a sea urchin collecting device for allowing an intended user to individually harvest sea urchins located within a body of liquid, said device allowing for the individual and sequential collecting of sea urchins having an urchin outer diameter below a predetermined threshold outer diameter, said device comprises:
a collecting tube for individually collecting at least one of said sea urchins, said collecting tube defining a tube first end, a tube second end and a tube intermediate segment extending therebetween, said tube defining a tube inner diameter for allowing sequential movement within said tube of individual sea urchins having an urchin outer diameter below said predetermined threshold urchin outer diameter while preventing adjacent sea urchins from being in a side by side relationship within said tube, said tube being manually maneuverable for allowing said intended user to manually position said tube first end adjacent a targeted sea urchin located within said body of liquid;
a pump hydraulically coupled to said tube second end for pumping an urchin-liquid mixture including targeted sea urchins and adjacent portions of said body of liquid into a collecting means, said collecting means being coupled to said pump.
Preferably, the device further comprises a separating means in communication with said collecting means for separating said targeted sea urchins from said portions of said body of liquid.
Preferably, the pump and said separating means are positioned on a buoyant body for maintaining said pump and said separating means above the surface of said body of water when said tube first end is positioned below said surface of said body of water in an operational configuration; whereby said tube first end is at least partially decoupled from said pump and said separating means by said collecting tube and said buoyant so as to facilitate manual maneuvering of said tube adjacent said tube first end.
Typically, the separating means is located downstream relative to said pump, said separating means being located between said collecting means and said pump.
Typically, the separating means includes a container, said container being provided with at least one drainage aperture extending therethrough, said drainage aperture allowing said pump to drain liquid out of said container while said container retains said sea urchins therein.
Preferably, the separating means includes:
a first container and a second container, each of said first and second containers being provided with at least one corresponding drainage aperture extending therethrough, each of said drainage aperture allowing the drainage of liquid from a corresponding one of said first or second containers and the retention of sea urchins within a corresponding one of said first or second containers;
an hydraulic circuitry including valve means for selectively allowing either one of said first or second containers to be individually filled with said liquid-urchin mixture, whereby said hydraulic circuitry allows said first or second containers to be individually filled with said liquid urchin mixture while the other one of said first or second containers is being individually drained from said liquid.
Preferably, the device further comprises a pre-filling means hydraulically coupled to either one of said first or second containers for ensuring that a corresponding either one of said first or second containers maintains a predetermined minimal amount of liquid therein.
Preferably, the pre-filling means includes a pre-filling hydraulic circuitry hydraulically coupled to said corresponding either one of said first or second containers for redirecting a portion of said liquid having been drained from said corresponding either one of said first or second containers into said corresponding either one of said first or second containers.
Preferably, the hydraulic circuitry includes:
a first and a second inlet duct hydraulically coupling said tube second end respectively to said first and second containers;
a first and a second inlet duct valve for selectively allowing and preventing the flow of said liquid-urchin mixture respectively in said first and second inlet ducts.
Preferably, the hydraulic circuitry further includes:
a first and a second outlet duct respectively hydraulically coupling said first and second containers to said pump;
a pump valve means for selectively allowing and preventing the flow of liquid from said first and a second outlet ducts to said pump.
Typically, at least one of said first or second containers includes a container door, said container door being movable between a door closed configuration and a door open configuration, wherein when said door is in said door closed configuration said container door retains said urchins within a corresponding one of either said first or second containers and wherein when said container door is in said door open configuration said container door allows said urchins to be retracted from a corresponding one of either said first or second containers.
Alternatively, the container door is positioned so as to be pivotable towards said door open configuration under the action of gravity and wherein said door is provided with a releasable door locking component for releasably locking said container door in said door closed configuration.
Preferably, either one of said first or second containers further includes a container basket, said container basket being movable between an extended and a retracted configuration wherein when said container basket is in said retracted configuration said container basket is confined to a corresponding either one of said first or second containers and wherein when said container basket is in said extended configuration at least a portion of said container basket protrudes from said urchin removing aperture for facilitating the retrieval of sea urchins therefrom.
Preferably, the pump is a rotary pump, said rotary pump being positioned downstream relative to said separating means.
Alternatively, the pump includes;
a pump housing defining a first and a second housing aperture;
a first and a second pump inlet ducts, said first and second pump inlet ducts being in fluid communication with said tube second end and respectively with said first and second housing apertures;
a first and a second pump outlet ducts, said first and second pump outlet ducts being in fluid communication with said separating means and respectively with said first and second housing apertures;
a first and a second pump inlet duct valve for selectively allowing and preventing the flow of said liquid-urchin mixture respectively in said first and second pump inlet ducts;
a first and a second pump outlet duct valve for selectively allowing and preventing the flow of said liquid-urchin mixture respectively in said first and second pump outlet ducts;
a reciprocating piston slidably mounted within said pump housing for alternatively increasing. and decreasing the hydraulic pressure of said liquid-urchin mixture adjacent said first and second housing apertures,
whereby when said hydraulic pressure is increased by said piston adjacent either one of said first or second housing apertures a corresponding one of said first or second pump inlet duct valve is closed and a corresponding one of said first or second pump outlet duct valve is opened for allowing a fraction of said liquid-urchin mixture within said pump housing to be discharged towards said separating means and the hydraulic pressure is decreased by said piston adjacent the opposed first or second housing apertures with a corresponding one of said first or second pump outlet duct valve closed and a corresponding one of said first or second pump inlet duct valve opened for allowing a fraction of said liquid-urchin mixture emanating from said tube second end to fill at least a portion of said pump housing.
Alternatively, the pump includes:
a pump housing defining a first and a second housing aperture;
a first and a second pump inlet ducts, said first and second pump inlet ducts being in fluid communication with said tube second end and respectively with said first and second housing apertures;
a first and a second pump outlet ducts, said first and second pump outlet ducts being in fluid communication with said separating means and respectively with said first and second housing apertures;
a first and a second pump inlet duct valve for selectively allowing and preventing the flow of said liquid-urchin mixture respectively in said first and second pump inlet ducts;
a first and a second pump outlet duct valve for selectively allowing and preventing the flow of said liquid-urchin mixture respectively in said first and second pump outlet ducts;
a pressure creating means for increasing the hydraulic pressure of said liquid-urchin mixture within said pump housing;
a reciprocating pump valve slidably mounted within said pump housing for alternatively allowing the flow of said liquid-urchin mixture into or out of said first and second housing apertures.